Robinhood Earnings Preview; Ripple Labs Boosts Valuation Amid SEC Lawsuit; Diem’s Potential Demise

Robinhood will report fourth-quarter financial results on Thursday, only the third report it has issued since it went public in July. Eyes will be on the money the company earns from crypto trading. In the third quarter of 2021, Robinhood reported $51 million in revenue from crypto transactions, a 78% decline from the $233 million it made during the second quarter. But the company could see a fourth-quarter turnaround spurred by boosts in trading volume. After all, bitcoin and ether hit all-time highs in November, which may have attracted investors and encouraged more crypto transactions on Robinhood.

It will also be important to track the cryptocurrencies that drive trading revenue. Robinhood’s crypto fortunes have been heavily tied to dogecoin, a cryptocurrency created as a joke. Enthusiastic comments from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose company now accepts the cryptocurrency as payments for merchandise, have fueled much of the price gains. But dogecoin could be a fad that eventually peters out. If that happens, it could mean trouble for Robinhood.